UAE will go the distance to keep passengers safe

Daesh may have been routed in Syria and Iraq but the group is looking at ways to target urban centres, and disrupt trade and commerce. Civil aviation could be in its sights and authorities are doing their best to prevent any incident. Past terror attacks on planes must be kept in mind and it’s better to err on the side of caution. In this scenario, Emirates airlines has taken the right decision to deter any incident emanating out of Tunisia. The UAE received specific and credible information about extremists plotting attacks on its planes and has swiftly moved to prevent the threat from escalating at its source in Tunisia. The safety of passengers is top priority for the country and its leading airline. Both countries are working to make air travel safe in this busy holiday season. The United States has confirmed the threats. Meanwhile, the UAE and Tunisia have been sharing information on the nature of these threats and are taking steps to tackle them without causing inconvenience to passengers.

What cannot be ignored is Daesh’s ability to cause trouble and take its terror agenda across the world. According to news reports, 8,000 people from Tunisia joined the group when it controlled large areas in Syria and Iraq. Beaten back by relentless Russian bombing and counter-attacks by regional forces, many have returned home and could be working on individual or collective plots. Lone wolves, as they are called, are the real dangers to urban hubs and aviation. They slip through the cracks and it’s a challenge to track and take them down. They will resort to any method to sow chaos and spread fear in the minds of people. There is hate in their hearts and they are keen to cause damage to peaceful societies. What the UAE has done is to protect its assets and people from a likely terror situation. It’s a sovereign decision, which Tunisia says it respects. This move by the UAE proves its intelligence capabilities. It will go the distance to keep people safe. Let there be no doubt about that.